Saskatoon e-scooter pilot off to a rocky start
A new pilot project that just rolled out onto Saskatoon streets is off to a rocky start.
City councillors say they're getting complaints that rented e-scooters are being abandoned outside of designated areas.
Saskatoon is the first city in the province to allow e-scooters on public roads, part of a two-year pilot project.
“Bird scooters have been around in Canada for the past four years,” said Alexandra Petre, COO of Bird Canada. “We're very excited that the City of Saskatoon has decided to participate in the micro mobility pilots and right now they’re running a pilot to understand usage and demand in Saskatoon.”
Bird and Neuron are the two companies that will supply around 500 scooters around the city.
“What’s really important to this initial pilot period is really to show that this is going to be a mode of transportation that people are going to use in the city,” Isaac Ransom, corporate affairs with Neuron told CTV News. “And we're already seeing lots of rides.”
But in the first weeks, city councillors say they're getting complaints that scooters are being ditched all over town.
“I’ve got a lot of emails and phone calls about this, and a lot of photos,” said Cynthia Block, Ward 3 councillor. “I had anticipated that the e-scooter project was tightly regulated in terms of making sure that people return their units to the appropriate place.”
The e-scooters are designed to work only in designated areas, but the city says there have been some hiccups with the technology
“The first few days, the geofencing system in place wasn’t working properly, and you were able to ride on a sidewalk,” said Jay Magus, director of transportation. “You'd get to a parking mat, and you were not allowed to stop.”
Magus says the problem has now been rectified, and riders will be penalized for things like parking the scooter in the wrong location or riding on the sidewalk.
“The system is supposed to work so that you can't end your ride, so you'll be continuously charged if you leave it in the wrong spot,” he said.
But SGI says riders need to be aware of the rules of the road when using e-scooters, and that they may be liable for damages caused while riding.
“If you are in a situation where you are piloting an e-scooter and you cause damage to somebody else's property, you may be held responsible for that damage,” said SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, who says that riders are subject to the same impaired driving laws as any other motorized conveyance.
Both companies' policy is for riders to be at least 16 years old with parental permission, or 18 to ride on your own.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.